Bulls: Young stars leading team with dynamic offense

The Chicago Bulls put up some big numbers on offense in their first two games of the season. The young stars of this team make them exciting to watch again.

It’s been a mixed start for the Chicago Bulls, as they sit at 1-1 early in the season. On offense, the team has looked unstoppable at times. They’ve put up big numbers in both games, but defense remains an issue.

That being said, it’s nice to see this team start with a lot of energy this season after the rough performances of the past two years. It’s been a long road for the Bulls and their “Rebuilding” process.

The process may not be completely over, but this team is on its way. It appears that they’ve built well through the draft despite not having any top five picks in recent years.

Rookie guard Coby White looked like a seasoned scorer on  Friday night when the Bulls beat the Memphis Grizzlies 110-102 on the road. The 19-year-old out of North Carolina put up 26 points and 6 assists in an impressive performance.

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The Bulls were able to defeat the Grizzlies because of an incredible night by shooting guard Zach LaVine. He was on fire, putting up 37 points on 13-23 shooting while going 4-8 from the three-point line.

LaVine was acquired from Minnesota in a controversial trade in which the Bulls gave up Jimmy Butler. The move now looks like a stroke of genius from the much-maligned front office duo known as GarPax.

The biggest takeaway from this game against the Grizzlies is that Coby White is for real. He’s looked great in both games this year, coming off the bench and scoring in double digits. He was the only other double-digit scorer in this game was LaVine.

It’s okay to be very excited about White if you’re a Bulls fan. He’s looked great all over the court on offense. He can drive to the basket, make slick passes to get easy points in the paint, and shoots whenever he wants. He had zero turnovers on Friday as well.

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White took on a fellow rookie in Grizzlies’ point guard Ja Morant. The second overall pick in last year’s draft talked trash with White on the court, but it was White that came out on top of the stat sheet.

Forward Lauri Markkanen had an off night on Friday against the Grizzlies, putting up just nine points and struggling shooting the three. But he had a great game in the team’s opener, a 126-125 loss to the Charlotte Hornets. Markkanen had 35 points in that game.

Markkanen also struggled from three against the Hornets, and it may be necessary for him to drive to the paint more and work in the three when he can. It’s good to see other players pick up their teammates on offense in each of the team’s first two games.

Between Markkanen, White, and second-year center Wendell Carter Jr., this team has a young core of their last three first-round draft picks.

Add LaVine in the mix, and there’s a lot of points to be scored by this group. There’s great potential for improvement with these young players as well.

Defense remains a glaring issue for this team. But Friday’s game showed that the team’s defense could improve as they followed a poor defensive first half by holding the Grizzlies to just 42 points in the second half.

The Bulls get right back to action on Saturday in Chicago when they face the defending champion Toronto Raptors. It will be a tough matchup, but it will be fun to watch the continued development of White. The Bulls may have picked the steal of the 2019 NBA Draft.